The year is 1517 and the religious-relics business is hot. Washington political satirist Buckley (“Thank You for Smoking”) trades the federal for the feudalistic in this comic historical novel about a trader, Dismas, who has made a fortune selling high-end holy bones. When Dismas is cheated out of his fortune, he teams up with German paining great Albrecht Dürer to concoct a costly counterfeit that will recoup his losses — a faux Jesus’ burial cloth.

George Steinbrenner’s Pipe Dream: The ABL Champion Cleveland Pipers by Bill Livingston(Kent State University Press)

The Boss’ overbearing, well, bossiness, did not begin with his stewardship of the New York Yankees. As a young man of 30, he ran the Cleveland Pipers for the 1961-62, and only, season of the American Basketball League. Even then, he was full of contradictions. He hired a black coach, John McLendon, which was unheard of at the time. Then he fired him midway through the season. In the middle of one game, he traded a player to the opponent, demanding the player suit up for them after the half.

The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska by Eileen Curtright(Little A)

Welcome to the Beef State. In Curtright’s debut novel, heroine Rebecca Meer has more than her share of gripes as a single parent in Ward, Neb. It’s bad enough for the unmarried microbiologist that her partner in the local fertility clinic she runs is going mad. But things go from bad to worse when ex-boyfriend turned Silicon Valley tycoon returns to Ward as her son’s fifth-grade teacher. And we haven’t even gotten to the PTA food drive.

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War that Changed American History by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger(Sentinel)

You probably knew that Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, but did you also know that he also established US naval superiority over the world’s oceans? As “Fox & Friends” host Kilmeade and co-author Yaeger detail in their new book, when the valiant Virginian took office in 1801, the nation’s merchant ships were under attack from Barbary pirates who demanded ransom for captured sailors. Past presidents had paid the pirates to remain at bay. Jefferson put his foot down, sending new US naval ships to blockade Tripoli. The ensuing Barbary Wars were the first step toward America becoming a superpower.

Savoring Gotham: A Food Lovers Companion to New York City edited by Andrew F. Smith(Oxford)

This 700-page-plus tome is sure to get mouths watering. From A&P to zeppole, it covers the New York City food scene and its history with encyclopedia-like glee. We learn about Batali and bialys. Plus Little Italy, Little India, Little Odessa, Little Syria — each neighborhood with a distinct flavor. And there are entries on comparative newbies like Smorgasburg (right next to the entry for smoked fish).